Real People, Real God

Download the Study Notes Today, we’ll highlight the rest of the OT story by discussing the highs and lows of various characters and periods in Israel’s history. Follow along with the notes: Oh, That King Saul Saul, if you remember from our last episode, was handsome and a head taller than any man in Israel. High point:  Saul showed admirable ... Read More

Download the Study Notes Today, we begin with a look at Samuel’s parents (before they were parents)—Elkanah and Hannah. They are a wonderful picture of faithfulness to Yahweh during the time of Israel’s judges. Remember the time of the Judges? “Israel had no king, and everyone did as they saw fit.” Judges 21:25 (emphasis added) The Non-Example To illustrate how low Israel had ... Read More

Download the Study Notes We’re pausing for a moment in our Through the Bible Character Series to take a brief look at the prayers of two Israelite women. Both pregnant, these ladies lived at different times in Israel’s history, but had very similar prayers. In light of the Christmas season, we’ll look at Mary’s prayer, sometimes called the ... Read More

Download the Study Notes Please welcome my guest co-host for today, Jill Eileen Smith. She’s a good friend and an expert researcher. Today, we’ll chat primarily about her book, The Prophetess, a biblical novel exploring the life and times of Deborah, Israel’s only female judge. A Series of Amazing Women Mesu: You’ve written about several amazing women in the ... Read More

Download the Study Notes Have you ever been asked to do something so beyond your ability that you felt like giving up before you even started? Today’s character study begins with a glimpse of Moses’ final days and then focuses on Joshua, a man assigned a God-sized task…. Israel leaves Sinai The Israelites had been camped at the base ... Read More

Download the Study Notes A Tabernacle Build With New Hearts “Then all the congregation of the people of Israel…came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord ‘s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting…So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought ... Read More

Download the Study Notes We’re so enjoying our new home in the Appalachian Mountains. Every time I walk or drive anywhere with my grandkids, we sing, “We’re going up the hill and down the hill. Up the hill and down the hill.” Because we can’t go anywhere without doing just that! As Lyndsey and I prepared for this ... Read More

Download the Study Notes What happened to Moses after the Hollywood stories of DeMille’s Ten Commandments and DreamWorks’ Prince of Egypt? After God’s deliverer leads Israel across the Red Sea, how long does it take to get to Mt. Sinai? What route do they take? We aren’t as familiar with that part of Israel’s history. So let’s explore Israel’s ... Read More

Download the Study Notes Most of you are probably familiar with Moses’s story, but we’re going to tackle this long and important chunk of Scripture from the perspective of how Moses (and the stories of Exodus) fits into the overall story of the Bible. We began our Through-the-Bible Character Studies at Creation with God in perfect fellowship with ... Read More

Download the Study Notes The story of Jacob’s son, Joseph, is familiar to most of us and can be found in Genesis 37-50. It’s also been told to children and adults through fiction in a myriad of ways. The Dreamworks movie, Joseph: King of Dreams, is one I just recently watched with my grandkids, and I’ll bet some ... Read More